Here are the five special stories from The Indian Express we would like you to read before you start your day.

BADAUN CASE: NO PROOF OF SEXUAL ASSAULT?

A crucial forensic analysis report in the alleged Badaun rape-murder case has found no male DNA on the clothes and personal effects of the teen cousins.

The analysis also found no female DNA on samples taken from the clothes and bodies of the male suspects, virtually ruling out sexual assault, or even close physical contact between the teens and the men alleged to have raped and killed them. READ MORE HERE

HER TUBE OFF, FAST STILL ON, IROM SHARMILA IS FREE

It was the first time in 14 years that Irom Sharmila appeared without a tube attached to her nose, the symbol of her struggle against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. It was also the first time in 14 years that she was free, once the black iron gate to her isolation ward at JNIMS Hospital was drawn open. READ MORE HERE

GUJARAT GOVT NOD TO BRIDGE AFTER NHRC ISSUE NOTICE

Days after The Sunday Express reported about school children from 16 villages in Sankheda being forced to swim across the raging Hiran river to reach their school in Utavadi village in Narmada district, the Gujarat government has finally cleared the long-pending proposal for the river bridge.

The confirmation from the state government comes after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) slapped a notice on the chief secretary of Gujarat Wednesday, taking cognizance of The Sunday Express report and demanding a report. READ MORE HERE

BCCI DIAGNOSIS OF DEFEAT: RESTRICT COMPANY OF WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS

In England, while they slumped to a humbling 3-1 Test series defeat, India’s slip fielders dropped every second catch that came their way, and their top two batsmen were dismissed the same way on almost every occasion. The repercussions of that will be felt now by the players’ wives and girlfriends.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now decided that girlfriends will no longer be allowed on tour and there will also be restrictions on the duration of the wives’ stay. READ MORE HERE

OPINION: THE APPEAL OF THE PROBLEM SOLVER

There is an overwhelming consensus that it is not the BJP, but its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections for the party. This is not misplaced. The National Election Study (NES) 2014 data suggest that approximately one in every four BJP voters would not have voted for the party had Modi not been the party’s PM candidate.

The contrasting image of Modi as an efficient administrator and powerful orator in comparison to the incumbent Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the campaign lends credence to the idea that Modi’s leadership swung the election results in the BJP’s favour. The NES 2014 also confirm that Modi’s popularity cut across large parts of the social and political landscape of India. READ MORE HERE

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